CHURCH HISTORY25 Years of Faith

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went (Hebrews 11:8).

In the Beginning… The year was 1978, and for a young pastor named Jerry Birkholz and his wife Beth, Olyphant PA was as foreign as any place could ever be. This was the place where they made unusual things like “pierogies”, “porketta”, and “white pizza”. In this area things were usually pretty quiet, and the religion was predominately Catholic.

It was the pastor’s desire to start a church in this place. He knew many of the people in this region were without God’s word, and often times he would think of Romans 10:14, the verse in the bible that gave first gave him the desire to become a pastor: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Yes, Olyphant PA was the exact place he needed to be.

Jerry Birkholz quickly found a place to call home, and in October, he and his wife Beth along with their 14-month-old son Ben, moved into a duplex on East Scott Street. However, starting a church would not be that easy to accomplish. Where would the church be? How would he get members? He thought for a while and decided the place the church would meet would be in the living room of his home. With his first question answered he now needed to get members. With great aspiration, and a bible in hand, Jerry Birkholz started walking all through the area, and knocking on many doors, as well as following up on many leads.

Many people thought he was rather strange, a number of them would dare not let him in, others would listen out of politeness, but then some actually did listen to what the pastor had to say, obeyed God’s will for their lives, and went by faith. This was the way Faith Baptist Church began.

Within 3 weeks Pastor Birkholz started Bible studies. On December 10, 1978 with 17 members, Faith Baptist Church had its first service. Some of the very first members were: Sandy Walters, Earl and Sharon Nulton, Rick and Carol Fanucci, The Evan’s, Shirley Misiura and her fiancé Wayne Pisanchyn and Margee Billman. Ben’s room was used as a nursery. Pastor and Beth’s bedroom was the girls Sunday school room, and the kitchen served as the boys Sunday school room. Sometimes the living room was overcrowded, and since Margee had joined a little later than the others, Pastor Birkholz would go to her house and have a bible study with her on Wednesday’s. On the days that there happened to be some extra room pastor would call up Margee and say “Margee Billman come on down!” More room needed By June of 1979, it was obvious that the congregation outgrew the living room and they were able to use the Senior Center building in Olyphant. Each time chairs needed to be set up. There was a large closet that served as the nursery and rest rooms were used as the boys and girls Sunday school rooms. When people went forward, for privacy they had to go out to their cars, even in the frigid winter. After service was over, they needed to reset the place for the Center’s Sunday night Bingo game.

“A Place of Their Own” Although the congregation was small, the members managed to save $10,000, and in 1980 put a down payment on a building in Archbald, PA that cost $35,000. The owner of the property was Thomas Tolerico, and he owned a nightclub in Archbald as well. Pastor Birkholz was able to give this man and his wife the gospel on several occasions.

This building, which was previously a tavern, did not resemble a church in any way, and was in much need of repair. With great vision, Pastor Birkholz only saw the potential of what the building could become. The room, which the congregation used as an auditorium, was used as a sewing factory, a print shop, a 'dented can' grocery store and finally a flea market. The congregation borrowed another $20,000 for renovations, and moved in at the beginning of April 1981. The members spent every free moment they had fixing up the property. The men put in bathrooms, lighting, and an office for pastor. The basement was finished the following year. All of this was done without a building permit or a blueprint.

The choir from the Indiana Baptist Bible College was one of the church’s first groups. Evangelist David Baughn was the speaker. By this time many were saved, and were baptized. These baptisms took place in the lake during the summer months, and in the winter the baptisms were performed at other churches. The church was then given a baptismal from another church that no longer had a need for it.

In need of assistance. The church continued to grow, and in 1985 Pastor Birkholz asked a seminary student by the name of Michael Cantando if he would consider the position of assistant pastor of Faith Baptist Church. At first Pastor Cantando and his wife Wendy would come in on Sunday’s to help out during his last years of seminary. They really grew to love the church, and Pastor Cantando decided to accept the position upon graduation.

Hard to let go In 1986 Pastor Birkholz was asked to fill the position of pastor to a church in Virginia that was in great crisis. The decision to leave the work he started was an extremely difficult choice. The congregation had many questions. Pastor Birkholz would assist every member by addressing his or her concerns. One main question was who would take over? When the vote came, it was obvious there was only one choice, and that would be Pastor Cantando.

The farewell message that Pastor Birkholz gave on his last Sunday as pastor of Faith Baptist church was an extremely emotional one. His message focused on Paul, who started many churches, but when he felt the body was mature enough, he let go. When pastor’s final words of his message were “I leave you with God” there was not a dry eye in the place. The congregation knew that they were indeed left in the hands of God, and God would not forsake them.

By accepting the position of pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Pastor Cantando knew that he had a huge responsibility to fulfill. The shoes of Pastor Birkholz were mighty big, and filling them not only would be difficult, but perhaps impossible. A year and a half later the church went through a very difficult time and split.

Years of growth Dr. E.R. Jordan, “Chief”, came in and gave the members an encouraging message. Dr. Jordan’s messages were always extremely powerful since he was always on fire for the Lord. Dr. Jordan was called “Chief” because he was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy and under his leadership many churches were started. There were now only about 60 members. As if he could see into the future, Dr. Jordan said he is praying for the church to have 150 members.

With the thorny time behind them, and many prayers, the congregation relied solely upon God, for they knew that he was in control. The church was also growing more than anyone could have imagined. It seemed like overnight the nursery was flooded with babies and the kids who just were in junior church were now headed for college.

The hardest move With all of the growth, the assembly once again had to seriously consider moving to another building. It was obvious to all, but the members of Faith Baptist Church still had a difficult time with change. After much prayer about where God would lead them, an offer was made to purchase the Peckville Baptist Church. The Peckville Baptist Church had another offer, but the members of Faith Baptist promised that the heritage of the church would remain, so Faith Baptist purchased the building. The Congregation moved into their new building in November 1996. Members once again made many improvements to the church. Two restrooms were put in, and an office for Pastor. The nursery was down stairs, and after a while Sunday school rooms were added to the above floor.

The one thing that the church desperately needed after all these years of growth was an assistant pastor. Once again, much prayer went out to have the right man of God fill the position of assistant. In July of 1999 Rob and Renee Vigil came to interview. Pastor Vigil filled the job of Pastor Cantando’s assistant on September of 1999. Since that time Pastor Vigil and Renee have been a tremendous blessing to Faith Baptist Church. Pastor Vigil has been in charge of several of the church’s successful programs such as Awana and Evening Vacation Bible School.

“I leave you with God” Although Faith Baptist Church has undergone many changes in the past 25 years, one thing has never changed, and that is the steadfastness and the God fearing principles that the church has, and will always stand firm on.

Much appreciation needs to be given to Pastor Jerry Birkholz, the man who gave the members of Faith Baptist Church a foundation to stand upon for future generations, all by coming to this unknown place by faith.

This article was written by one of the long-time members for the 25th anniversary service in 2003. Several changes have taken place since that time. In 2009, Pastor Cantando resigned and Pastor Vigil was voted to change from the assistant to the senior pastor of the church.

In 2011, the assembly had once again grown and had to seriously consider moving to another building. In July, the church purchased the former Peckville Assembly of God building on Keystone Avenue and relocated to continue the ministry. (Photo at top left.)

Then in 2014, the congregation voted to revise the church constitution to include a 'plurality of elders' as our leadership model. (ref. Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23, 1 Peter 5:1,2)In February of 2015, Pastor Vigil nominated Dave Ewert, Keith Madden, and Jim Woody to the office of Elder, and all three men were confirmed by congregational vote.